Adhering to FERPA and copyright laws may seem like a daunting task, but by taking the proper legal steps, utilizing online images and tools does not have to be overwhelming.

How can one refrain from violating FERPA guidelines in online communications?

FERPA laws, or the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, were put into place in order to safeguard the privacy of student education records until the age of 18, as applicable to federally-funded schools. Parents and students have the right to review educational records, and have changes made to those records, if a hearing allows it, until students become legal adults. The rule is simple--DO NOT share student information through any medium with anyone except the student and his/her parents.

Basic Guidelines for educators from FERPA--taken from: (https://www.openteachertraining.org/blog/quest/communicate-1-1-2/):

• DO NOT share grades in emails unless specified by administration. Example: Sarah Smith has a 74% in class. She needs to continue to complete her work in a timely manner.
• DO request a phone call with a parent to discuss the numerical grade.
• DO NOT share information about student with anyone other than the parent/guardian.
• DO indicate to third parties to contact the parents of such student in regard to progress.
• DO have the right as parents and students to ask for educational records.

Digital Citizenship "is the norms of appropriate, responsible technology use" (digital citizenship.net). With the rise of BYOT, even at the elementary level, the concept of responsible use is important for students to learn from an early age. This site also discusses the "9 Elements of Digital Citizenship," including digital: access, commerce, communication, literacy, etiquette, law, rights and responsibilities, health and wellness, and security / self-protection. They also emphasize the importance of REP, or Respect (yourself and others), Educate (yourself / connect with others), and Protect (yourself and others) in the digital world.

Plagiarsm.org contains a comprehensive list of the DOs and DON'Ts of plagiarism, including additional resources to help teachers and students. I bookmarked this page for further reference. On the student end, it is expected by educators and administrators that students submit original work only, and always cite sources--the same can be said for educators. Student Codes of Conduct also hold the expectation that students adhere to the honesty policy during examinations.

What methods could be employed to verify that copyright laws are not being violated?

Information regarding IP should be conveyed to students the first week of school, before homework and projects are assigned, as a preventative measure. Intellectual Property, or IP, "refers to the creations of the mind, such as inventions; literary and artistic works; designs; and symbols, names, and images used in commerce (wipo.int). I bookmarked this site as well. Things such as patents, copyrights, and trademarks all protect intellectual property. Merriam-Webster defines copyright as "the legal right to be the only one to reproduce, publish, and sell a book, musical recording, etc., for a certain period of time." For example, if a teacher or student creates a slideshow, all images used must contain the website from which the material was taken.

Does copyright require that all work, images, words, and graphics must be original?

Basic facts, data, and ideas are not protected by these laws, but some quotations, mottos, slogans, and logos are often protected by trademarks. As long as educators and students cite / acknowledge their sources, and have permission to use copyrighted and trademarked material when necessary, legal issues will not ensue. Educators, however, are allowed to use newscasts and articles, academic research, etc., due to the fair use policy.

A stakeholder is a "person or group that has an investment, share, or interest in something, as a business or industry" (dictionary.reference.com). In the case of LMSs, the stakeholders include everyone using an online platform, including students, parents, educators, and administrative staff. In order to maintain relationships between stakeholders, educators must remain in constant contact with all stakeholders, which can be done by using the SIS, Student Information System, to find all contact info.

Instructors:

Educators must convey assignment and assessment info in a timely and professional manner, and should communicate the pros and cons of each student's progress with all stakeholders on a continual basis. Teachers must also be available for students within reason, and should continually monitor their grades.

Students:

Students should always contact teachers from the beginning of the semester, and should raise any questions or concerns immediately, especially before it's too late. Students must also use the tenets of Digital Citizenship when communicating with teachers, should always "attend" synchronous learning sessions--plus e-mail and / or call with concern-- and should visit any asynchronous learning sites when a concept is not fully understood.

Parents:

Parents of children taking online courses play an even greater role as stakeholders in their success, and educators are dependent upon parents to play this role. In some cases, parents are able to provide assistance with some concepts in certain classes; if not, however, parents should be a sort of coach to students, encouraging them to seek help from the teacher. I found this to be true when I taught in the face-to-face classroom. Parents who had the most success with their students were highly engaged in their education, but the also were realistic about their child's performance, and had high expectations of them. The same would apply in the virtual classroom--good parenting is good parenting, regardless of the medium. They also were supportive of the teacher, and did not allow students to take advantage of them. Most LMS platforms allow parents to view their children's grades, and it is their responsibility to stay on top of them. We had this ability in our brick-and-mortar school as well. Educators can further this stakeholder relationship by calling, emailing, and sending alerts and newsletters to update parents as to their child's progress.

Local School Administration:

It is ideal when programs are included within the LMS to assist in the contacting of students and parents with alerts, etc., as to student progress. This is of great assistance to educators, and frees their time to focus on learning content. They may even monitor student productivity, respond to questions, and collaborate with instructors.

Additional Virtual Stakeholders:

An additional stakeholder in the online learning community is the corporation or state which runs the program. As owners of the virtual school, it is in their best interest to have open lines of communication with all stakeholders, and to provide everyone with the tools to best facilitate this relationship. In order to grow the program, best practices should be followed on all sides to better ensure a solid relationship and reputation between the LMS and the facets of this community.

Welcome Email:

These emails are usually generic in nature, and are sent to all stakeholders in the beginning of each semester. Educators should include important information regarding course name, course access instructions, course schedules and syllabi, teacher / student expectations, types of projects, readings, and assessments, materials needed, and the instructor's email and phone. This email should also include the date and time of the Synchronous Welcome Session.

Personal Notes:

These emails and phone calls are limited to specific areas of concern, such as low GPAs, failing grades, special needs, and student illness.

Mass Communication:

LMS tools such as Dial My calls and Remind 101 are excellent in aiding educators in the stakeholder communication process. Dial My Calls are a sort of robocall which allow educators to send voice mail messages to all students and parents regarding upcoming assessments, project due dates, etc. Remind 101 is a texting service used by all stakeholders in which educators send a general text regarding upcoming due dates, synchronous session times, and assessments, and everyone may interact. My high school instituted this two years ago, and it has been an important tool in reminding students and parents of important upcoming dates.

School Policies:

Using the GaVS LMS e-mail, for all email to students regarding grades, academic dishonesty, and parental issues, educators must cc: the administration to ensure there is a record of each communicative attempt. A log containing the date, time, and context of the communication should also be retained by the educator.

When following these specific communication guidelines, educators and all stakeholders will be ensured the best possible virtual online educational experience.

Just as with parenting, educators must not only let students know when there is room for improvement, but it is vital to give positive reinforcement to vast improvement in grades, an excellent digital project, or marked student involvement in discussions. This communication may be conveyed via e-mail or phone call, and is one that students and parents will truly appreciate. It will also improve teacher-student relationships. I would use every communicative tool on the LMS website to foster these relationships.

Parents know their children's daily schedules and lives more than we do; therefore, it is important for educators to send reminders of upcoming important due dates, synchronous meetings, and assessments. When parents know what questions to ask, and how to ask them, they are more likely to become successful partners in the stakeholder relationship (ww2.ed.gov).

As with online assignments, when sending this communication digitally, the use of visuals always enhances student engagement. Make this communication fun and interesting: this is what students will remember. This is most likely not the only course students have, so anything to make important dates more memorable is key to communication and engagement among all stakeholders. If a class is more enjoyable for a student, it is more enjoyable for all stakeholders.

Many free online image generators exist to help teachers in this process (I bookmarked in Symbaloo under "Web Tools"):

After research bulletin board / home page creators on the internet, I finally decided upon Weebly.com. Their user-friendly format, beautiful images, and uncomplicated layout make the home page / course a welcoming addition to a student's course load. At first, it was frustrating, learning their specific tools, but was easy once I practiced. After playing around with the tools, I finally had the hang of it after about 30 minutes, and was ready to enter the information for my Home Page Bulletin Board. It ceased being frustrating, and began to be fun once I understood their format. This site allows you to use their gallery of images, or your home library images. It allows for a lot of creativity. I also did a search for the steps to taking a screenshot--again, so easy once you try, and follow the steps.

Home Page Bulletin Board Information Includes:

• Teacher Information
• Class Syllabus
• Upcoming Assignments
• Recorded Synchronous Sessions
• Class Handouts
• Helpful Links

Online instructors would greatly benefit from "News Flash" items for students. They may be sent as alerts for new assignments.

I used the Weebly site that I developed in the previous quest to create a new page for my "News Flash." In the past, my students have enjoyed the "Knowing Poe" virtual field trip, and I always begin the Romanticism Unit in October so we can get to Poe / Dark Romanticism before Halloween. I decided to include this virtual field trip site as my news item, which I turned into an assignment. After viewing this link, I asked students to write a two-plus page, single-spaced, five-paragraph persuasive essay. They must choose (3) new points about Poe they learned from this link, and choose (3) different Poe texts, one for each new point, and make a connection between how something that occurred in Poe's life affected his writing. Using MLA Style, students are not only practicing their research and MLA skills, they are practicing their persuasive writing skills--all while studying for the Romanticism Final Test.

It is truly amazing how much technology has tranformed teaching. It was always so difficult to create a simple newsletter for the class, even without images. But now, it is so easy to add text and URL, and upload images and videos. It is actually a lot of fun to try out these new tools, and all of their creative potential.

The three tools I chose to communicate with stakeholders were Smore for the newsletter, ThingLink as a WebQuest reminder image added to my newsletter, and Lino sticky notes for updated bulletin information. All three were easy to use, and lent themselves to endless creative possibilities.

Smore:

I truly enjoyed creating this newsletter. This site allows users to use the site's images, or add their own: I did a little of both. It easily uploads web links, videos, audio, and images. It also enabled me to add my ThingLink WebQuest for "The Raven," and my LinoIt sticky notes for my "Important Dates" Bulletin Board.

ThingLink:

This site is very cool. I can see students having a lot of fun with it, and being tricked into learning, which is always my favorite thing to do. I created a WebQuest for "The Raven," and choose a picture of The Enchanted Garden from the Poe Museum in Richmond, VA, as the photo to symbolize the WebQuest. I also tagged the museum as one of their stops on the WebQuest. The steps to creating it are surprisingly simple, and by clicking on a point in the photo where the user wants to place the next image / video / audio, you copy-and-paste the URL to the site, and it "tags" the photo with the desired info. In one picture, I was able to place most of the engaging sites I had ever used with students to create my WebQuest. Again, the paper, ink, space, and time that technology can save a teacher is invaluable.

Lino:

Lino is a great site which allows users to create an engaging bulletin board with virtual sticky notes as reminders to important upcoming due dates. I was able to create the students' sticky notes, copy and paste the URL into my Smore newsletter, and place it at the top for all stakeholders to see.

These three web tools are an invaluable service to all stakeholders: they are user-friendly, easily accessible to all parties, save paper, time, and frustration.

Remind:

I also plan to use the Remind site as an immediate way to contact students and parents regarding important upcoming due dates. My husband's school instituted this system two years ago, and it has been extremely successful. Kids don't need a smart phone, they just need a flip phone, and most kids have some sort of mobile phone in 2015.

How do communication practices in the online environment correlate with effective feedback?

In order for a student to flourish in any classroom, whether it be brick-and-mortar or virtual, educators must provide effective feedback to their students. By effective, I mean that teachers must use clear and concise diction, simple sentence structure, and a positive tone. Students need to know the concepts in which the excel, and those requiring improvement. Feedback is the single-most important tool a teacher can impart to their students. When the students receive effective feedback, and make every effort to improve upon their work, parents are positively affected by this as well. The feedback rule of 1) accuracy, 2) prompt evaluation, and 3) thoughtful, authentic feedback will always work with students.

Why is authentic feedback important for online learners?

Without constructive feedback from educators, students will not improve upon their work. There is a difference between being negative, or critical, and using constructive criticism. Initially, I have found throughout the years, that there are always those students who are unable to tolerate even the most constructive of criticism. But eventually, when they see their peers discussing their feedback, and receiving better grades the next time because they utilized the feedback, those students will eventually come around and look forward to it, as well. Feedback is important for all stakeholders--the students, because it helps them to improve upon their work; the parents, because they can see when students use constructive criticism, it can bring about positive results in the form of higher grades; and educators, because they spend less time discussing failing grades, and more time working on curriculum-building and grading. This way, a connection is created between the course, the educator, the students, the parents, and the material. Students require guidance, as Debbie Morrison notes, to learn how to learn online. She also cites the statistic that 60% of rising college students arrive unprepared, and lack the writing and math skills to make them competitive. Writing is difficult to learn, let alone teach, yet is one of the most important life skills a person can acquire during his / her educational career. Even in the business world, those with better writing skills will be the first promoted between candidates with an equal skills set.

In what ways might an instructor enrich a student's online experience through feedback?

As Debbie Morrison states in "Four Good Reasons Why Students Need Instructor Feedback in Online Courses," feedback may be given in a variety of ways, including written, recorded voice, chat, or video.

The rubric, below, is one that I use as a guide to teach any high school 9-12 class. It provides ample feedback on a number of issues students might have within each writing convention. I began to add more points to my rubric when I began teaching AP Lang, and keep most of them for every class, with just a little tweaking for each class / level, because they are points that need to be improved upon by most students each year. And, when the students see these same points on the rubric with each written assignment, from the first month to the last, they are more likely to understand my expectations. This rubric is a product of a number of rubrics I've used throughout the years. By the time it was Spring 2011 semester, I had tweaked it numerous times to include 2 parts--Part I of the Persuasive Essay Rubric is the sheet I use to deduct points from each essay, based on specific criteria required for completion; Part II is a comprehensive look at the total expectations I have for their papers based on an entire semester of work, and is where their grade range can be found, where I write their final grades, and where I have listed every possible strength and weakness in their papers. Through the years, after using many different rubrics to grade their papers, I've noticed that they are more likely to read and follow advice from this rubric: it is user-friendly, organized, and easy to refer back to for future papers. Ironically, it requires the least amount of writing on my part, because I simply circle or highlight whichever parts are excellent in the "A" range, and /or need improvement in the "B" or lower category. As Kati Lepi notes, it does in fact save me time and stress. This rubric easily translates to online use, because I can simply use highlighting and annotating tools to respond directly onto this rubric for students.

Rubrics4Teachers, Rubistar, and iRubric are all excellent web tools to convert your pre-existing rubrics into digital form.

Following is my rubric:

Extremely detailed rubrics work best for me, because I am able to write less, yet provide more feedback, because I don't have to repeat myself for 150 students.

Their assignment is to create a PhotoStory project for which they choose 30+ lines to give a rhetorical recitation from a rhetorically-charged text from the American Revolutionary Period, identify ethos, pathos, logos, and one counter-argument, and analyze each in detail, and to also submit their annotated text "worksheet" on which they have identified the four appeals throughout, with an analysis of each--what was the author's purpose in giving this speech / writing this text? What was at stake for each of these men? They must consider these questions as complete the worksheet and the project, and record their recitations. This lesson is always fun, immediately follows our study of these texts, and provides them with a good review before the unit exam. The added bonus is the PhotoStory aspect of the project, which will help to make this even more engaging for them. I enjoy teaching rhetorical appeals to them in this unit, it makes the students feel smart when they are able to identify them in any text, verbal or written, and we are able to continue the study of these appeals throughout the semester.

Following is my project assignment and rubric:

Best Practices in Discussion Forums:

There are a few best practices that should always be followed by educators in the online classroom. Some students will continue to respond, as they do in the traditional classroom, because they like to hear themselves talk, but don't have much to say. Some student keep trying, which is always appreciated, but it takes away from other students' responses. One way to ensure fairness and a sense of student comfort is to always analyze and respond to each student's first thread of responses. This way, everyone has a fair chance at participating, and the educator may ensure that all students are focusing on the essential questions. Next, when responding to students, be sure to highlight selections from the prompt, text, or the focus of the student's response. When possible, also be sure to integrate audio commentary into student responses. Also post links to external resources, readings and other sites for further study. Finally, use the Socratic Method in all Discussion Forums.

Essential Questions:

What role or purpose do discussion forums serve in the online classroom, and are they effective?

Discussion forums serve several purposes: they provide students with a review of the material, they are an opportunity for students to receive more practice in a certain concept or text, and they function as a tool to provide students with a deeper understanding of concepts and texts. When educators use the Socratic Method in online teaching, it is an effective tool for students. The format is slightly different, but the concept is still the same: ask students essential questions which require deep analysis, and continue probing them until they reach a thoughtful, analytical conclusion that they support with evidence from the text. Most online courses will use discussion boards asynchronously, because educators are able to post questions and materials online for discussion, to which students then provide thoughtful responses at their own pace. The instructor then provides initial, reflective feedback, to help guide them to the next level of response. Some online courses use the Webinar, or Synchronous approach to discussion forums. This is easier for adults than high school students. I've participated in a few, and I think it would be challenging for many students to provide thoughtful feedback at such a fast pace.

How do discussion forums function as a teaching tool?

Any good classroom discussion, whether brick-and-mortar, or face-to-face, incorporates the Socratic method. This educational philosophy is derived from the classical Greek philosopher, Socrates, who lived more than 2,400 year ago. He believed that lecturing at students was an ineffective mode of teaching. Instead, Socrates believed that humans are born with all knowledge, and it is up to educators to help students bring out this prior knowledge (learnnc.org). The Socratic Method is a "method of hypothesis elimination, in that better hypotheses are found by steadily identifying and eliminating those that lead to contradictions" (en.wikipedia.org). Incorporating concept into our pedagogy was an intrinsic part of our graduate school studies in the 1990s, and one that has helped me in the classroom from the beginning. Instead of asking yes / no questions, teachers ask questions that require a thoughtful response from students. This process helps students to have a deeper understanding of the topic at hand, and may truly change their world-view. We also used the Socratic Literature Seminar, also known as a Socratic Circle, in which the inner circle was responsible for guiding the discussion, and the outer circle was responsible for providing them with thoughtful, engaging responses. I used two separate rubrics for each circle. Both were required to provide evidence from the text. I have used this format with The Catcher in the Rye, The Crucible, and The Great Gatsby, and all were successful in engaging students and helping them with a deeper understanding of the texts. Once we did this in class, it truly helped with regular class discussions throughout the remainder of the semester. It also helped students to better understand MLA Style, how and why to cite sources, and to improve creative thinking and critical analysis skills (learnnc.org).

How could they be used effectively and ineffectively? Furthermore, what are some best practices for facilitating forums online?

Discussion Forums are ineffective when the educator uses them as a flat participation grade, instead of truly grading the work to ensure content comprehension. However, when used as a tool to measure understanding, by providing rubrics beforehand so that students will meet expectations, and by providing relevant and thoughtful feedback, Discussion Boards are truly virtual classroom discussions. The teacher must ensure that the questions asked are meaningful, essential questions, that require thoughtful analysis from the student. This is an invaluable study tool, and one that students may refer back to throughout the semester.

Following is a good rubric I found to motivate student involvement during American Literature Online Disussion Forums:

How does integrating synchronous learning sessions within the online environment assist in developing a learning community for students?

After learning about a few online educational companies, I was surprised that there are some that do not require synchronous sessions. These sessions are the bridge between face-to-face and virtual schools. Synchronous sessions are most important way to continue the human connection between teacher and student--they are real-time, and provide instant feedback to students.

Holding a synchronous discussion board is a great way to check-in with students, and to ensure that they are accomplishing learning goals. It provides review, reinforcement, and it reinforces the fact that virtual classrooms are real classrooms. Having weekly "Office Hours" at the same day and time each week is another great way to have face-time with students, answer any questions, review new and previous concepts, and discuss future learning goals.

The great thing about synchronous sessions, which are essentially webinars, is that they may also be saved online and viewed asynchronously by students who are unable to attend the live chat due to illness, schedule conflicts, etc. As these sessions accumulate, they become study guides for review before upcoming quizzes, tests, projects, papers, and final exams. It is such an invaluable tool, and it is what sets apart face-to-face and virtual learning. Some students may find it important to attend synchronous sessions, especially if they require tutoring, and have questions they need answered immediately. But some students prefer to view these weekly session asynchronously, due to full schedules, scheduling conflicts, or they simply like to watch what has already been done, and don't have any pressing questions for the week. Either are fine, as long as they are asking questions when needed. The important thing is that they hear my voice, and know that I am available when they do have a question.

It is important that students and teachers work together to brainstorm, hold discussions, and problem-solve. This relationship is better fostered by synchronous tools, and helps to retain the human element within the course. In her April 2014 article "Encouraging Online Learning Participation," Dr. Joan Thormann notes that "there are typically two to four students (out of 15) who are real go-getters," who "help set the tone for the course, and can be very helpful in getting others to participate." She also notes that it is important for the educator to encourage online learning participation, even in a quick, personal e-mail to students.

It can even be argued that online courses have perhaps more to offer, since students are able to see and / or hear class discussions when they are unable to attend synchronous sessions, as opposed to the face-to-face class, in which students have to rely on teacher / student notes and handouts when they miss class. Additionally, resources are available to online students instantaneously when they have a question, as opposed to having to wait until they come home to do their research in the traditional one. This instant connection with material makes learning more meaningful for students. Synchronous learning is vital in making that human connection between all stakeholders, and whether students participate synchronously or asynchronously, the opportunities are there for all students involved to participate meaningfully and successfully in online courses.